


nightmares are dreams too

by yorozuyas



Category: Persona 3
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, POV Second Person, Slow Burn, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-24
Updated: 2017-06-24
Packaged: 2018-11-18 13:40:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11291805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yorozuyas/pseuds/yorozuyas
Summary: "Take care of 'im, Aki.""I will," you say, blinking away the tears burning the back of your eyes and tightly grabbing hold onto his blood covered hand in hopes that maybe, maybe...





	nightmares are dreams too

_"Take care of 'im, Aki." You look down in absolute horror, heart beating furiously against your chest as you watch the life drain from his eyes._

_"I will," you say, blinking away the tears burning the back of your eyes and tightly grabbing hold onto his blood covered hands in hopes that maybe, maybe..._

You wake up with a jolt, your hair matted in sweat. It's that dream again. Why couldn't you shake it off? It's the fourth night that week that you've had that exact same dream. Was it a premonition of some sort? But no - no, because if it was, you wouldn't know how to live with yourself if the person you held dearest to you died in your arms like that. You know you're trembling, and you're  _aware_ that it's just a dream, but what's the harm in checking, right? You're careful as you look behind you to ensure that Shinji is sound asleep next to you.

He is.

Good.

You draw your knees to your chest and bury your face into them, taking deep breaths as you calm yourself down. That dream...why were you constantly having that same dream? And never has it been that vivid before. In the beginning it was just blood and a hazy figure lying in your arms. Then, gradually, the hazy figure took form and the form just happened to be Aragaki Shinjiro. But you don't understand.  _Why_ were you having that dream? It was as if you lived in a completely different universe. But that's not what bothered you the most; it was  _who_ would dare kill Shinji and _why_. He may be a little rough around the edges, sure, but Shinji's kind and caring in his own way. What the hell would warrant him such a fate?

It's unimaginable. You bite down on a sob so as not to rouse the sleeping boy next to you. Too late.

"Aki?" his voice is as rough as ever, but you hear the concern in it. "You okay?"

You take a while to answer. "Bad dream. It's nothing."

"Nn?" he grunts, and sits up, rubbing away the weariness from his eyes. He's always able to tell when something is bothering you - how could he not? You two have been together for more than a decade. You would be able to recognize him by touch alone and by the way his feet struck the ground; you would know him simply as you hear the patterns of his breathing; you would know him even in death, at the end of the world.

"It just...felt real, that's all. In my dream, it was like we lived in a different world, I guess." The words stumble out of your mouth before you could stop yourself. With him, you just feel like you can tell him anything. Your relationship is based on trust, love and loyalty - it's a very strong, unbreakable bond that was formed from the time you spent together at the orphanage.

"In that world, there's an hour hidden to normal people. They're not aware of it - it's called the 'dark hour'. And during those hours - we fight. We fight, Shinji. For the world. In that dream I'm always excited to fight these creatures that only ever appear during the dark hour. They're called Shadows. Shit, Shinji, we fight  _together._ And we're hella good at it too," you say, "We fight using these things called Personas - I'm not sure what they are, but I think they're supposed to be the manifestation of our personalities."

You think part of the reason you like this world is because you're not powerless in it. You're strong enough to protect the people you love and care about. But you also hate it. Your face falls as you remember the blood on your hands, the light dying in Shinjiro's eyes as he mumbles his last words. "But in that world - you...you died. You got shot. I wasn't strong enough to protect you."

He doesn't say a word. If anything, he merely stares at you like you're the biggest dumbass he's ever met. Then, out of nowhere he laughs. "Aki," he says in a low voice that sends chills down your spine, "There's nothing to worry about, right? I'm here. With _you_. I'm alive and I sure as hell ain't going anywhere. It's just a dream, okay? A dream. It ain't like it's gonna come true. Maybe in another world, but not this one. This world is where we're happy. I'm alive. You're alive. Everyone's fucking happy."

You wanted to say you didn't want a world where he didn't exist. You don't. Instead, you say, "Yeah. I guess you're right. It's just a dream. Nothing more, nothing less, right?" But even as you say that, you can't help but feel uneasy.

"C'mere," he says huskily, patting the space next to him. You do as he says and curl up next to him. "Listen. I ain't ever goin' anywhere, got that? So don't waste your time thinking about stupid stuff like that."

You chuckle. "Even if you try, I'll always bring you back, no matter what."

He's quiet for awhile. Then as he laces your fingers together, he says, "I love you."

This time, you smile. "I love you too."

**Author's Note:**

> I AM BACK FROM THE DEAD MY FRIENDS!
> 
> i'm trying out a new thing which is writing in second person. i've never done that before so i wanted to give it a try. also. i'm new to the persona franchise so please please forgive me if they're out of character TAT i haven't finished the games yet either...and i haven't written nor published anything for a loooong time so i wanted to get this one out of my system even though it was completely impromptu. haha
> 
> i really, Truly love akishinji and i'm never gonna forgive atlus for killing shinji . NEVER


End file.
